By Howard Koplowitz
John Gotti, Jr. was arrested at his Long Island home Tuesday after federal authorities in Florida unsealed an indictment linking him to three murders — including two committed in Queens in 1988 and 1991.
Gotti, 44, of Oyster Bay, L.I., faces life in prison if convicted of the charges, which also included allegations that he took part in a cocaine operation organized by the Gambino crime family that trafficked five kilograms through New York, New Jersey and Florida, according to federal prosecutors in Tampa.
The charges claimed Gotti was the “de facto boss in the Gambino crime family” during “various times relevant to this indictment,” which spanned 1983 up until the date of the indictment.
Manhattan prosecutors attempted to convict Gotti three times for racketeering conspiracy but all of the cases ended in mistrials.
He was accused Tuesday of racketerring conspiracy in the murders of George Grosso, who was killed Dec. 20, 1988, in Queens, and Bruce John Gutterup, who was killed Nov. 20, 1991, in the Rockways, according to the Tampa indictment.
He was also charged in connection with the murder of Louis DiBono, who was killed Oct. 4, 1990, in the parking garage of the World Trade Center.
An investigation into the alleged cocaine operation led prosecutors to discover Gotti’s alleged involvement in the murders, according to Robert O’Neill, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
